2 Nov 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 8.0°C: Clear skies. Just frosty in places sheltered from the moderate northerly breeze. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 07:09 GMT

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 09:00

(244th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
A manic quarter of an hour. Several of the early groups of migrating southbound Wood Pigeons were concurrent with the last of the roost-dispersal Jackdaws and Rooks. At the same time a few Fieldfare and Redwing were passing over, four of the former briefly perching on trees at the West end. While all this was going on a group of Starlings departed their West end roost. I don't think any of this explains the car on its roof in the middle of Castle Farm Way! Numbers best-efforts in the circumstances.

Other bird notes:
- the two Canada Geese throughout again.
- a pair of Mute Swans departed to the West at 07:15.
- yesterday's three Pochard remain.
- still only three Great Crested Grebes.
- c.220 Black-headed Gulls arrived in three groups. I did not check the football field before 08:50 when it was devoid of any birds.
- four Cormorants, all arriving separately.
- Grey Herons were in almost continuous dispute. At least three birds involved, probably more.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.1500 Wood Pigeons: almost all in 16 groups flying South
- 1 Skylark again
- c.540 Jackdaws
- 134 Rooks
- 2 Starlings
- 2 Fieldfare
- 10 Redwings
- 1 Pied Wagtail again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans: departed
- 14 (8♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Pochard again
- 71 (>31♂) Tufted Duck: still diving in groups and difficult to count
- 3 Moorhens
- 25 Coots again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.220 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- c.225 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants
- 3 *Grey Herons

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- 33 Starlings
- 1 Redwing

Later on the Teece Drive fence:

Nothing found. Too cold and breezy.

Elsewhere:

Fungus:
- same yet again including Shaggy Inkcap or *Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:
Too cold for most things?

Moths:
- 3 November Moth type Epirrita sp. again: all on the same pole today

True flies:
- 2 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.

Bugs:
- 1 *Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

A clear and just frosted start today. On the right of the water are some of the early arriving gulls. Just about visible over the vegetation toward the left are some of the many Tufted Duck present.

Autumn colours from the dam-top.

Three Grey Herons were present at various times chasing around. This one made a rare misjudgement and dipped a wing-tip in the water.

And this one just about got away with it – the merest streak on the water says it dipped the extreme tip of one feather.

The only unusual sighting on the dew-covered West end street lamp poles this morning was this Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius.

It looked pristine yesterday. Not much sign of it as a Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus today

Plane of the day: this is a seven-seat Diamond Aircraft DA 62 "flying SUV" owned by MAJ Aviation Ltd. of Leominster, Herefordshire [not to be confused with a large operator of a similar name in Singapore!]. It was flying from Leeds East Airfield [RAF Church Fenton as was] back to its home base at Shobdon Airfield, just west of Leominster. The registration prefix "2-" originates from Guernsey. Perhaps registered there for tax reasons?

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Another poor showing

Moths:
none

True flies:
none

Arthropods:
- 2 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:05 – 10:15

(241st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the single Mute Swan gone.
- the two drake Shovelers remain.
- a duck (Common) Teal found.
- no Great Crested Grebe seen.
- no Cormorants either.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Redwing

Noted on / around the water:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese: arrived
- no Mute Swan
- 2 (2♂) *Shoveler
- 37 (25♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) *(Common) Teal
- 22 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 14 Coot
- no Great Crested Grebe
- 55 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- no Cormorants
- 3 *Grey Heron

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 3 November Moth type Epirrita sp. Three of yesterday's four still in the same locations.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1+ *Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- >100? wasps Vespula sp. Very busy around the sheltered Ivy bank.

Hoverflies:
- 4 *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax [Tapered Drone Fly]
- 1 *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax [Common Drone Fly]
- 2 *Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis

True flies:
- *Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina
- also very many flies not specifically identified including bluebottles, greenbottles etc...

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 *harvestman Opilio canestrinii

 Still here: the two drake Shoveler ducks.

Horrible lighting on this distant duck. About the only identification feature is the all black bill indicating it is a duck (Common, sometimes called Eurasian) Teal. [There is a very similar New World species names Green-winged Teal. But then both species are common and both have green in the wings. Confusing.]

The Grey Herons were chasing here as well as at the Balancing Lake.

I got close to this Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris so you don't have to. There were dozens and dozens of them on the Ivy and it was possible to hear the petals knocked off the flowers as they cascaded through the vegetation to the ground.

A very typical pose with wings held erect, presumably for balance.

 It is always a bonus to log hoverflies in November. They will be around on sunny days just as long as the Ivy blossom holds out. Here is a male Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax.

Another with his tongue partially out.

A female: her body is not so tapered as that of the male. I am bemused by the pale bands of hair between the tergites on all these individuals. I do not recall noticing them on individuals of this species seen in the Summer. I cannot find any comment to this effect in the literature.

For a change a male Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax best identified at this angle by the leg markings. The extent of the paler brown areas on the abdomen is not diagnostic and very variable in most droneflies. This one has his tongue out as well.

A female Syrphus sp. Her hind leg is not visible to provide a specific identity.

Another. It is tempting to call the hind leg colour but I am not 100% sure I can see enough of the upper part (tibia) to be certain.

There were also very many flies around today – more so than recently. I did not bother with most of them. This posing Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina was an exception.

There were two harvestmen Opilio canestrinii together on a top end street lamp pole this morning. This one is clearly a male with long palps. The #1 leg on the right side is missing.

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
7 Pochard
Kestrel
Little Grebe
Sparrowhawk
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
4 Yellow legged Gulls
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
36 Pochard
85 Tufted Ducks
4 Lapwings over
c.200 Starlings roosted at W end
53 Wood Pigeons
249 Fieldfare
14 Redwings
7 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebes
17 Pochard
57 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
c.170 Golden Plover
1175 Wood Pigeons
1 Kingfisher
16 Pied Wagtails
22 Wrens
10 Dunnocks
27 Robins
22 Blackbirds
298 Fieldfares
8 Song Thrushes
24 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
69 Starlings
12 Chaffinches
33 Greenfinches
11 Goldfinches
1 Redpoll
5 Bullfinches
9 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Adult Arctic Tern
172 Redwing
9 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
Siskin
Redpolls
7 Reed Buntings
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)